Animal Rescue Shelters: Warm-hearted Animal Lovers or Nasty Opportunists?

[samclem]

We're in the market for a dog. DW is allergic to most breeds, but does not seem to be allergic to poodles or some other types. She's been doing a lot of research on this (including Petfinder.com, which appears to be the central clearinghouse for pooches), and has located a number of prospects. Now that I'm well into getting the fence built, we're getting close to being ready.

I'm a litle suspicious of these animal rescue places--some strike me as possible scams, or at best, one step up from puppy mills. I'm used to going to the local pounds/shelters, looking at the mutts, finding a good match, paying 30-80 bucks, and being on our way. These rescue places are nothing like that--they are private operations, you have to fill out a lengthy application (people are frequently rejected I'm told), and pay them $300 for the dog.

So, are these businesses legit? As a guy who paid $400 to get a hysterectomy for a hamster stricken with endometriosis (I'm not kidding), I am not reluctant to spend some $$ for a dog, but I don't want to be supporting a bunch of scam artists who may or may not even be treating the animals well.

 

[bright eyed]

I don't think most of them are scammers, when we were looking for puppy I did the same thing.

Problem is the hypoallergenic dogs are usually super cute and in demand, so I believe they charge a lot for those dogs so they can pay to cover the expenses of the sad cases that are hard to care for, or are not easily adopted. I do think some of their application processes are ridiculous.

It will take a lot of patience to go that route for the hypo type...may have more luck getting one at the pound if you're willing to look past the stinks and dirty hair, which will be fixed at the groomers, or a good pair of clippers and nice wash!

Also, some of the hypos at the shelter get picked up fast so you have to be first at the door the morning they are old enough or after quarantine...

 

[Purron]

We're in the market for a dog. DW is allergic to most breeds, but does not seem to be allergic to poodles or some other types. She's been doing a lot of research on this (including Petfinder.com, which appears to be the central clearinghouse for pooches), and has located a number of prospects. Now that I'm well into getting the fence built, we're getting close to being ready.

I'm a litle suspicious of these animal rescue places--some strike me as possible scams, or at best, on step up from puppy mills. I'm usd to going ot he local pounds/shelters, looking at the mutts, finding a goood match, paying 30-80 bucks, and being on our way. These rescue places are nothing like that--they are private operations, you have to fill out a lengthy application (people are frequently rejected I'm told), and pay them $300 for the dog.

So, are these businesses legit? As a guy who paid $400 to get a hysterectomy for a hamster stricken with endometriosis (I'm not kidding), I am not reluctant to spend some $$ for a dog, but I don't want to be supporting a bunch of scam artists who may or may not even be treating the animals well.

Be very carful Samclem. As you may know, I'm an active volunteer for my local shelter. I can only attest to their desire to do the right thing and their adoption fee is only $20. If the animal has not been spayed/neutered, the adopter is required to pay for this but it only runs about $150 and represents the discounted cost from the local vet contracted to do this. Sadly, there are many folks out there hoping to cash in on our love for animals. This being said, there are many good privately run rescue groups out there, and since they are not subsidized with taxpayer $$ like municipal shelters, they have to charge more.

Take your time and don't visit with a dog until you are sure the group is reputible. The not so reputible groups count on kind hearted folks like you meeting an animal, falling in love, and not questioning their policies.

 

[samclem]

It will take a lot of patience to go that route for the hypo type...may have more luck getting one at the pound if you're willing to look past the stinks and dirty hair, which will be fixed at the groomers, or a good pair of clippers and nice wash!

Also, some of the hypos at the shelter get picked up fast so you have to be first at the door the morning they are old enough or after quarantine...

The county shelters here do a good job with the resources available, but you are right--some of the pups in the pound could use a bath. DW can usually tell right away if a particular dog is going trigger her allergies, but unfortunately it's difficult to do this screening at the animal shelter, as there are many dogs in the same room and sometimes several are in the same pen, it's difficult for her to know if she's reacting to Fido at her feet or Rover who Fido has been wrestling with.

I'm thinking we might want to volunteer to wash some dogs at the shelter--once they are cleaned up she's pretty sure she'll be able to know if there will be a problem. Plus, it's not a bad way to find out about a dog's disposition.

We've been without a dog for over a year, it will be nice to have one in the house again.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I work with Border Collie Rescue, and we charge (a very low for our area) adoption fee of $200. This gets you a dog that is spayed or neutered, up to date on shots, and HW negative. A bargain.
Our application process includes completing a one-page application, a vet reference check and a home visit. You take the dog on trial and if it doesn't work out, we take the dog back, no questions asked. You get your adoption fee back.

The chief reason I hear people say as to why to go through rescue instead of the shelter is because they know if the dog doesn't work out that it can be returned with an absolute guarantee that the dog will not be put down (barring aggressive behavior). With a shelter dog, you have to assume that if you take the dog back (what is called an owner surrender) to a kill shelter, then the dog has maybe 3 days on the adoption floor if he's lucky.

This is especially hard on folks with kids, and the trial adoption period makes it possible for them to try the dog out in their home without trying to guess at temperament in a busy, loud shelter environment.

Congrats on the starting the process of finding a new dog! That is great news!

 

[Westernskies]

Samclem,

Hope you find the right dog- IMO, for hypo it is hard to beat anything with poodle in it, they don't shed. Schnoodles are our personal favorite. We lost ours recently (16 and 18 years old) and have been looking on Petfinder, too. I thought they were expensive until we visited a local vet who is very active with them- they just rescued a bunch of schnauzers/schnauzer mixes from a puppy mill in Missouri- 1200 miles away! Transported them here, took care of their medical issues, fattened them up, boarded them and evaluated them for a month to see which ones could be socialized, put down the ones that couldn't. Did a home inspection to make sure we weren't going to be doing satanic rituals with them, got them up to date on all their shots, spayed/neutered, and out the door for $150.00- sounds like a losing proposition to me.

EW was very involved with Golden Retriever Rescue; in fact the amount of time she spent on it was one of the reasons we separated. No vacations, no time off, the phone rings 24 hours/day, had to go pick up abused or abandoned dogs on a moments notice (a job not unlike repossessing cars, only more emotionally stressful ) the volunteer network had to cover what the adoption fees don't.

Find a dog you like, rescue or the pound, and pay them double what they are asking, you'll be the one coming out ahead.

Good luck, and post pixs!

 

[Purron]

The county shelters here do a good job with the resources available, but you are right--some of the pups in the pound could use a bath. DW can usually tell right away if a particular dog is going trigger her allergies, but unfortunately it's difficult to do this screening at the animal shelter, as there are many dogs in the same room and sometimes several are in the same pen, it's difficult for her to know if she's reacting to Fido at her feet or Rover who Fido has been wrestling with.

I'm thinking we might want to volunteer to wash some dogs at the shelter--once they are cleaned up she's pretty sure she'll be able to know if there will be a problem. Plus, it's not a bad way to find out about a dog's disposition.

We've been without a dog for over a year, it will be nice to have one in the house again.

I have mild pet allergies which are always triggered when I work at the shelter. The combo of unbathed cats and dogs plus the close quarters does me in. Nothing my allergy meds can't handle, but I agree with your point.

In additon, animals who are stressed out tend to generate more fur and dander. I see this everytime I take one of my own to the vet.

How nice are you to consider volunteering to wash some dogs!! It would be a good thing to do plus you could get a feel for the dogs you may consider adopting!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Westernskies--that is why folks in rescue burn out. Sorry that it happened with you before your EW.

One caution I would have about dogs rescued from puppy mills: I know these stories are sad, but these dogs seldom have been put through the kind of rigorous vetting and evaluation that Westernskies vet did. Too often there is way more wrong with these dogs than can be fixed. Either they have horrible genetic problems because of inbreeding, or they have such weakened immune systems that they catch every single bug that goes by. These are very expensive problems. They also lack socialization because of the horrible conditions, making it very difficult to bond with them as a normal family pet.

Thank goodness that BCs are not cute enough for puppy mills to make any money on them, but I would never recommend adopting one if there is any other option. Sad but just not worth the risk unless you get a situation like Westernskies did.

 

[rescueme]

We've been doing breed rescue for over 5 years or so, of a breed that we've had for close to 35 years (Shetland Sheepdogs aka "mini-collies").

What normally happens is that a dog that is a stray or given to the "county home" is turned over to the many rescue organizations (by breed). Sometimes they are not 100% but have the looks/traits of the breed. This also helps to reduce the amount of dogs in the local shelter and gives someone else a chance if the dogs are put down if not adopted. Breed rescue will not do this (or at least the organization I work with).

Often a lot of folks will ask why it costs so much. Well unlike a lot of local shelters, our dogs are fully medically checked, neutered, "washed & waxed". Additionally, it does take $$$ to keep these dogs until they are adopted, and there are costs involved with maintaining the health of the dog (especially if they have health problems). For example, the vet that does "free work" for our dogs (office visits, nurturing, meds - if needed, etc.) is located anywhere from 50-75 miles away from us that keep the dogs until adopted. Then there are adoptee home visits. This is normally only done once, but it's to ensure that the dog will be going into a home that can really care for it (doubt if a public adoption program does this). Often times, it is breed-specific. For instance, shelties don't do well in homes with young children, nor do they do well in a home without a fenced yard (electronic or fence) since they can spook easily, especially till they bond with the family.

I've had many dogs over the years. Growing up, I always had a "pound dog", and there is nothing wrong with them, generally. Unfortunately, we went through a lot of them that didn't have good health or were not nurtured (my parents would never spend well $$$ on a pet) resulting in an early death either by sickness or hit by a car because they roamed. I was one of those kids that always watched Lassie on a Sunday evening, and always wanted a "dog like that". Unfortunately, my parents would not spend that kind of money on a purebred. I had to be out on my own, before that would happen. Of course, I later found out about the "mini-Lassie" that I (and my wife) grew to love over the years.

Yes, it takes a bit of money to adopt a dog from a rescue organization. However, assuming the organization is on the up and up, it costs money to give both medical and personal care to these dogs. It's not done for profit, and each of us that work within the organization want to do what is best for each dog. Often that takes more than just luck.

 

[Westernskies]

They also lack socialization because of the horrible conditions, making it very difficult to bond with them as a normal family pet.

not always- one of the EW's Goldens ended up doing pet therapy visits for many years with terminally ill patients at the local hospital. A lot depends on the individual animal, and how it is treated in the new home, IMO. Puttting a shelter dog into a home without any other animals can be traumatic for example- they have spent their entire life with other dogs in close proximity, and may or may not bond readily with their new human owners without the familiar companionship of another dog around 24/7

 

[socca]

I'm a litle suspicious of these animal rescue places--some strike me as possible scams, or at best, one step up from puppy mills. ... So, are these businesses legit?

The simple solution is to only do business with a 501(c)3 non-profit animal shelter. It's difficult to get rich operating such a business.

 

[ratface]

I have in the past gone the shelter route where you walk around the cages and select the one that somehow clicks with you. I've always wanted a german shephard though so a couple of years ago I went the rescue route. You will be way ahead if you buy a purebreed outright as a pup from a reputable breeder. The rescue has wonderful stories and pictures up on their website but that isn't the dog you get. They insist on matching you with the dog, kind of like E-harmony. When I picked him up they said he had just had a bath, the animal was filthy, I bathed him at home and took small pebbles out of his coat. The animal was sickly all the time with constant digestive trouble. I researched the best food and tried every brand under the sun, even cooking up rice and broth for him to no avail, Constant diarrhea. The vet would prescribe some medicine which would help but as soon as he was off the stuff it would start again. All of that was tolerable as you tell yourself the animal was abused and deserves patience. The small problem was that he bit everyperson who came to the house including myself and son. Luckily he only broke the skin om my fingers and forearm. I did have to buy several folks new jeans that he shredded.Again you tell yourself he was abused and beaten probably by a man and make excuses for the behavior. On the thirteenth bite which happened to be my son again, his mother who was the dogs biggest advocate, said get that animal out!!! Perhaps this was an isolated case, perhaps this rescue didn't know the dog was a biter, perhaps he had a horrible life. I don't know, what I do know is that it would have cost me less to purchase a $1000.00 dog from a breeder with some assurance of what you get. Others have said you can give the animal back but it is not that easy once you get emotionally bonded with them. I risked personal injury, personal liability, and made excuses for an animal that should have never been allowed out for rescue. Never again. The dog pound or a breeder next time.

 

[Purron]

Ratface, your story is very sad and it’s unfortunate you and your family had to go through this ordeal. The shelter I volunteer at is not "no-kill". Their live release rate is one of the best, but the dog you described would have been euthanized. We would not transfer a dog that has a history of biting or fails the temperament testing process to a rescue group nor would it be placed up for adoption. The rescues help when there is an overflow and by taking adoptable, but hard to place animals like older dogs and cats. While this was shocking to me at first, I came to understand how municipal animal shelters must put public safety first.

I volunteered with a private rescue before working with the shelter and it was a "no-kill" group. However, we selected the animals we took and didn't accept animals with aggression issues. Shelters are the place of last resort and, by law, must accept every animal turned in. While the shelter I volunteer at does everything they can to find homes for the animals, they never want to hear a story like yours.

 

[ratface]

Purron-that is exactly what happened, because the dog was a shepherd he was transferred from the city pound to the rescue. This animal would not have made it out to the adoptable floor with the pound. The rescue housed him at the vet where he was caged with probably little interaction. I am a dog and cat person and can handle ordinary behavior problems with dogs. You could walk by this dog and he would bite your ankle. I understand that this is probably what they are bred to do with herding cows or sheep but he was totally unpredictable. He only bit men. He bit me on three occasions with only minor damage, but broke skin every time on my hands. If he had damaged my hand I would not be able to work yet I protected him. I'm sure most rescues do the best they can but some animals are there for a reason. He could have caused irreputable damage to one of my children yet I still feel that I failed him.

 

[Westernskies]

Purron-that is exactly what happened, because the dog was a shepherd he was transferred from the city pound to the rescue. This animal would not have made it out to the adoptable floor with the pound. The rescue housed him at the vet where he was caged with probably little interaction. I am a dog and cat person and can handle ordinary behavior problems with dogs. You could walk by this dog and he would bite your ankle. I understand that this is probably what they are bred to do with herding cows or sheep but he was totally unpredictable. He only bit men. He bit me on three occasions with only minor damage, but broke skin every time on my hands. If he had damaged my hand I would not be able to work yet I protected him. I'm sure most rescues do the best they can but some animals are there for a reason. He could have caused irreputable damage to one of my children yet I still feel that I failed him.

My brother adopted a shepherd mix from one of the do-gooder no-kill shelters in the DFW area. It tuned out to be a a biter, not socialized, caused a lot of problems. He couldn't trust the dog around kids, visitors, delivery people, etc. Final straw was when it attacked me when I came over to help him do some work on the house- went right for my face, I managed to get my forearm up just in time- took a nasty chunk out of my arm, I went to the ER for stitches, and the dog finally went bye-bye... He had to fight the group that adopted it out to get the dog euthanized- they wanted to take it back and dump the [-]vicious 90-lb. beast [/-] poor abused animal on some other naive family- he made the mistake of calling them instead of just taking care of the problem himself. Witnessing the unprovoked attack finally convinced him that the liability wasn't worth the risk. I learned a lot from the process- some of these groups do not believe any dog should be put down, but the reality is that many (through no fault of their own) cannot be rehabilitated into good family pets. IMO, The purpose of a pet is to bring companionship and joy into your life, and a lot of these animals are incapable of ever fulfilling that role.

On a related note, we visited a local shelter the other day looking for a small poodle-schnauzer/bichon/scottie/wheaton/heinz57? mix - didn't find one, they had very few small dogs available. We were absolutely shocked at the number of pitbull mixes they had- probably 2/3 of the (100+?) cages. Talking with the shelter director, she indicated that they euthanize hundreds of these every year- most cannot be adopted out, and PB mixes are by far the most picked up/turned in breed. What the hell are people thinking?

 

[Purron]

He could have caused irreputable damage to one of my children yet I still feel that I failed him.

You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. The adoption organization is the one that failed.

 

[Purron]

On a related note, we visited a local shelter the other day looking for a small poodle-schnauzer/bichon/scottie/wheaton/heinz57? mix - didn't find one, they had very few small dogs available. We were absolutely shocked at the number of pitbull mixes they had- probably 2/3 of the (100+?) cages. Talking with the shelter director, she indicated that they euthanize hundreds of these every year- most cannot be adopted out, and PB mixes are by far the most picked up/turned in breed. What the hell are people thinking?

Our shelter gets a ton of pits - far more than any other breed. Most have not been spayed/neutered and many are aggressive. A lot of shelters automatically euthanize every pit they get. Our shelter doesn't, but is very careful when assessing them. Pits are a prime example of how people, not the animals, are often the problem.

 

[Sarah in SC]

We have had biters and each time it is an agonizing decision to determine if the animal is aggressive or if it was provoked. Dog bites are amazingly frequent, at least around here, and until I did rescue I'd only had one dog that bit, and she only bit once, when provoked. I had no idea how many bites there are a year, and from the unlikeliest of breeds, too (like goldens and labs).

I was able to place a dog that bit a teenager, but only after months (after the incident) of monitoring, countless vet visits, and a total disclosure to the potential adopter along with a 6 month trial adoption and 100% guarantee the dog could be returned. It turned out to be a happy ending, but I'd never want to go through it again.

Sucks that some dogs just can't be placed in an adoptive home and it is best to euthanize and move on to helping those that can be placed. It is a very touchy situation and hard to get everyone to agree.

Pits are tough--I don't know how those rescue organizations keep their spirits up--a never ending supply of unplaceable dogs. The puppies are great though, and very adoptable. The favorite euphemism around here is "boxer mix".

 

[Westernskies]

Pits are tough--I don't know how those rescue organizations keep their spirits up--a never ending supply of unplaceable dogs. The puppies are great though, and very adoptable. The favorite euphemism around here is "boxer mix".

too bad they are not Pitbull/Collie mixes- that way you get a dog that rips your arm off, then runs for help...

 

[Purron]

too bad they are not Pitbull/Collie mixes- that way you get a dog that rips your arm off, then runs for help...

You are soooo bad Westernskies. But, dang, you always make me laugh.

 

[ratface]

I own a 70lb pit and she is the sweetest dog I have ever owned. They get a bad rap.

 

[Purron]

I own a 70lb pit and she is the sweetest dog I have ever owned. They get a bad rap.

Pits are very loving dogs. The problem is many of the owners. Your pit is one of the lucky ones.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I know, I know. Here's a cute little guy we call Buster Brown that was dumped near our house that I am calling a "boxer mix". Probably around 3-4 months old

Our area is a dumping ground for all kinds of sad animals, but I can't imagine how someone could push a puppy like Buster out of their car to fend for himself. When we saw him running across the road, DH pulled over and I went to the edge of the woods to call him. He came slinking up nervously, with his tail wagging the whole time. He so desperately wanted to come to me, but experience had already taught him that sometimes an outstretched hand isn't there to help. When he finally came to me and I picked him up, he just pressed his gaunt and skinny little self up against me as hard as he could.

In just the two weeks we've had him, he's really come out of his shy shell. I've just announced him as adoptable and hope to find him a good home soon.

 

[Purron]

You are an angel Sarah.

 

[Westernskies]

Pits are very loving dogs. The problem is many of the owners. Your pit is one of the lucky ones.

The problem may start with the owners, but you can't ignore the fact that these are very strong animals with impressive size, incredibly powerful jaws and the ability to do grievous bodily harm if so inclined. The breed certainly has a bad reputation, (real, imagined, or undeserved?) Not sure why anyone would want that liability, especially in todays litigious society- I imagine that a personal injury lawyer would start salivating like Pavlov's Dog just hearing the word "Pitbull" ...and some insurance companies are refusing to write Homeowners Policies to folks who have them/ or excluding them from coverage?